Page 16 n THE ASIAN REPORTER COMMUNITY / A.C.E. December 5, 2022 Events calendar Please note: Policies vary for venues. Please read online guidelines for each event and proceed accordingly. Some activities feature timed ticketing with advance online purchase required. “Illuminating Time” Currently on view, 11am-3pm (Fri-Sun), Portland Chinatown Museum (127 NW Third Ave, Portland). View “Illuminating Time,” a display featuring original works by Creative Heights Artists-in-Residence Alex Chiu, Shu-Ju Wang, and Sam Roxas-Chua. The show is curated by artist and residency director Horatio Law. For info, or to purchase tickets, call (503) 224-0008 or visit . See related story on page 6. “Beyond the Mountain” THE LAST ROCKSTARS. Rock band X Japan drummer Yoshiki poses in Hollywood, Los Angeles, in this January 17, 2019 file photo at an event celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Short Shorts Film Festival. Four of Japan’s biggest rock stars — Yoshiki, Miyavi, Sugizo, and Hyde — are getting together to form a band called The Last Rockstars. (Kyodo News via AP, File) Japanese music stars form band “to make the world rock” By Yuri Kageyama The Associated Press OKYO — Four of Japan’s biggest rock stars formed a new band, The Last Rockstars, in a race against time to preserve the spirit of rock music. “We’ve come together to start this challenge for the world out of Japan,” Yoshiki of X Japan told reporters. Dressed in black, Yoshiki, Miyavi, Sugizo, and Hyde announced their new group onstage in Tokyo, saying the idea developed naturally. Sugizo, guitarist for rock band Luna Sea who also plays with X Japan, said he feels the defiant spirit of rock music needs to continue, noting that the members are getting older. Aside from Miyavi, who is 41, the others are all in their 50s. Guitarist Miyavi appeared as an actor in Angelina Jolie’s 2014 biographical war film, Unbroken. “This may be our last chance at this challenge,” Sugizo said. “We want to put what’s left of our lives on the line to make the world rock with our music.” They are collaborating on writing songs while continuing work with their own bands, they said. Concerts are scheduled for Tokyo, New York, and Los Angeles early next year. The musicians have worked together on various projects over the years, but this is the first time the four have committed to one group. “Finally, this day has come,” said Hyde, the lead vocalist of rock band L’Arc-en-Ciel. “I’m so excited.” Yoshiki, who sings and plays the drums and piano, is the new group’s leader. He and X Japan, which dates back to the 1980s, still command a large and loyal following, and the musicians with whom he is joining forces are also popular. Japanese media responded with enthusiasm to the announcement, calling it a “dream team,” while some questioned the band’s name and why there was no bassist. Hyde has sold out the Tokyo Dome stadium 16 times, has more than 60 top-10 singles on the Japanese Oricon Music Charts, and sold more than 40 million albums. And Sugizo’s creative reach expands beyond bands into a broad range of fields including movie scores, acting, and contemporary dance. Known as the “samurai guitarist,” Miyavi is famous for his “slap style” of guitar playing that doesn’t use a pick. He has toured the world six times, is in demand as a fashion model, and has created TV commercial music for Uniqlo, Nissan, and other brands. X Japan has sold over 30 million albums and singles, and Yoshiki has performed at Madison Square Garden and Carnegie Hall, and composed a song for Japan’s emperor. Yoshiki said he has experienced coming close to death many times, and felt time was running out for new opportunities. His former bandmate Hide died of suicide in 1998, as did his father when Yoshiki was a child. “It’s as if this is the last moment,” he said of the kind of energy he and others were putting into the new band. “As if,” he said. T Wondering when our next issue is published? Sign up for e-alerts at ! Currently on view, 10am-5pm (Fri-Sun), Seattle Asian Art Museum (1400 E Prospect St, in Volunteer Park, Seattle). View “Beyond the Mountain: Contemporary Chinese Artists on the Classical Forms,” an exhibit that conceptualize China’s rich legacies in art, language, and culture. The pieces contemplate the societal tolls of modernity and globalization and the challenge humans create for the natural world. For info, or to purchase tickets, call (206) 654-3100 or visit . “Beyond the Gate: A Tale of Portland’s Historic Chinatowns” Currently on view, 11am-3pm (Fri-Sun), Portland Chinatown Museum (127 NW Third Ave, Portland). View “Beyond the Gate: A Tale of Portland’s Historic Chinatowns,” a display of rare objects such as Chinese opera costumes, theatrical sets, bilingual text, audio-visual media, and more that tell a sprawling transnational story of contact and trade between China and the west, focusing on Portland’s Old Chinatown (1850-1905) and New Chinatown (1905-1950). For info, or to purchase tickets, call (503) 224-0008 or visit . CHINATOWN HISTORY. “Illuminating Time,” a display featuring original works by artists Alex Chiu, Shu-Ju Wang, and Sam Roxas-Chua, is currently on view at the Portland Chinatown Museum. Pictured are pieces (L-R) by Alex Chiu, Sam Roxas-Chua, and Shu-Ju Wang. (Images courtesy of the Portland Chinatown Museum) Watch two fleets of colorfully decorated ships ply the Willamette and Columbia Rivers. The combined fleets of the Christmas Ship Parade usually average about 50 boats. For route schedule, viewing locations, or to make a donation, visit . Omiyage Holiday Store Through Dec 23, 11am-3pm (Thu-Sun), Japanese American Museum of Oregon (JAMO) at the Naito Center (411 NW Flanders St, Portland). Shop for unique handcrafted Japan- inspired gifts and crafts by local artists and designers — jewelry, fashion and home accessories, cards, origami creations, art objects, and books — as well as a selection of curated vintage items at JAMO’s Omiyage Holiday Store. The holiday pop-up shop is open additional days before Christmas (December 20 to 23). For info, call (503) 224-1458 or visit . “Deities & Demons: Supernatural in Japanese Art” MESO Makers Winter Market Through Dec 23, 11am-6pm (Wed-Sat), noon-5pm (Sun), Currently on view, 10am-5pm (Wed-Sun), Seattle Art Museum (1300 First Ave, Seattle). View “Deities & Demons: Supernatural in Japanese Art,” a display of paintings, sculptures, prints, and textiles from the museum’s collection that presents the rich visual culture of the supernatural in Japan. For info, call (206) 654-3210 or visit . Continued on page 17 Kristina Wong, Sweatshop Overlord Through Dec 18, 7:30pm (Wed-Sun), 2pm (Sat-Sun), Gerding Theater at the Armory, Ellyn Bye Studio (128 NW 11th Ave, Portland). Watch Kristina Wong, Sweatshop Overlord, a show written and performed by Kristina Wong and directed by Chay Yew. Three days into the pandemic shutdown, performance artist Kristina Wong — driven to help make a difference in the world — began sewing masks out of bedsheets and bra straps on her Hello Kitty sewing machine. Before she knew it, she had recruited hundreds of volunteers to join her as “The Auntie Sewing Squad.” With sharp humor and brilliant social commentary, her tour-de-force look at the early days of global change offers a guide for community building and an inspiring path back into a healing world. For info, or to purchase tickets, call (503) 445-3700 or visit . Christmas Ship Parade Through Dec 21, Willamette & Columbia Rivers (Portland). COVID-19 vaccines offer hope. COVID-19 vaccines offer hope. You can can get get a f r ee vacci ne t hat You a free vaccine pr against ot ect s you agai nst 19. COVID- 19. COVID- If you a re 65 or older: Cal l 50 3- 988- 8939 t o get hel p schedul i ng an appoi nt ment at a vacci nat i on cl i ni c. Int er pr et er s ar e avai l abl e. Cal l or check wi t h your l ocal phar macy. Vi si t mul t co.us/ covi dvacci ne f or t he l at est on how and wher e t o get a vacci ne. COVID quest i ons? Cal l 211 or 1- 866- 698- 6155 (TTY: di al 711) Visit multco.us/covid19 for the latest updates t hat prot ect s you